The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition 2019
by BlueMoon007
Summary: One shots written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition 2019.
1. A New Camera for Colin

CHASER 1: "The Holy Grail" Sir Galahad is saved by Sir Lancelot from… ahem…. peril in the form of numerous beautiful women. **Write about a canonly virtuous/innocent character resisting temptation.**

**Prompts:**

(dialogue) "The only thing tougher than farmers are farmers' mums."

(creature) Niffler

(word) coincidence

* * *

The third-year boy's dormitory in the Gryffindor tower was usually surprisingly clean and organized. Yes, the house elves made the beds and did laundry, but for the rest of the personal items, this particular group of boys all seemed to be at least moderately tidy. That's why it was such a surprise to the 5th-year Gryffindor prefect when he walked by the room and glanced into what looked like a small tornado had touched down. The lanky teen studied the room for a brief moment before walking to one of the beds, reaching down, grabbing a foot, and pulling.

"Ahhh!" squeaked Colin, taken by surprise.

"Colin, you have class in 5 minutes, what are you doing here?" The older boy demanded. He looked down at the boy who looked as if he'd been crying.

"My camera broke," Colin answered, giving a little hiccup and holding up a couple of bits he had pulled from under his bed. It was obvious that it was beyond repair, even with magic.

"You need to go; you're going to be late," the prefect scolded.

Colin pouted and trudged out of the room.

"Colin, is everything ok?" Ginny asked during their study session that evening.

The boy looked up from his book. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"You've been reading the same page for an hour and you haven't started on your essay," Luna said softly.

"My camera broke. I don't think it can be fixed, some of the pieces are missing I think."

"Isn't that the new one you just got for your birthday?" Jared, one of Luna's Ravenclaw friends, asked.

Colin nodded miserably. "The only thing tougher than farmers are farmers' mums."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "What does that even mean?" she asked with a bemused expression.

"I thought your dad was a milkman," Luna said wistfully.

"Your mum's gonna kill you, isn't she?" Jared pointed out as Colin dropped his head to his book in defeat.

That was exactly what Colin was worried about. Being a milkman didn't pay very much and he knew that the camera had taken his parents months of savings to buy for him it was a top of the line model that he had wanted for ages. He couldn't believe it when he opened his present last month to find that his parents had actually bought it for him. And now his beloved camera lay in pieces on his bed. He wasn't sure how to tell them it broke. He had been practicing some spell work in his room and aimed badly, all his belongings had flown around the room, the camera crashing into the wall and scattering the parts and pieces. A reparo spell only worked if you had all the pieces. To top it all of he'd already told his parents he'd send pictures of the upcoming task for the Triwizard Tournament and they were looking forward to seeing them.

Deciding to take a walk in an attempt to clear his head, Colin headed to a part of the castle he'd never been to before — exploring and sometimes getting a little lost was almost always a surefire way to forget about your other troubles, mostly because the current problem of finding your way back before you got into even more trouble would preoccupy the mind.

A jingling sound distracted Colin from his wanderings, looking around he saw a small animal scurrying around a corner, his Gryffindor curiosity getting the better of him he naturally followed. When he turned the corner himself Colin saw a small dark animal trying to squeeze into a gap in the wall. Not knowing what exactly he was looking at, he approached the distracted creature quietly. It was cute, as far as magical creatures go, with black fluffy fur and a long platypus-like snout and was fairly small, no bigger than a cat.

Colin chuckled at the little nifflers antics trying to get into its burrow, it was getting stuck because of its overly stuffed pouch.

At the sound of his laugh, the creature turned around and stared at the boy. Colin slowly crouched down.

"I won't hurt you," he said softly and reached out his hand slowly, the dark fluffy fur too irresistible to not try and pet. The little niffler leapt onto him, running up one arm, across his shoulders, and down the other arm before disappearing into the hole in the wall. It didn't take Colin long to realize the little thief had taken his watch. He dove, arms first, into the hole in the wall, it was just large enough for him to get in up to his shoulder as he felt around for the little creature. The space must have been very deep because there was no sign of the niffler as he felt around hoping to get back his watch. His fingers grazed over a familiar feeling object his fingers curled around it and he gave a little tug and the object freed itself.

Colin stared in awe of the camera, an even better model than the one his parents had given him. It was such a strange coincidence that the niffler would have had one packed away. He smiled, at least now he wouldn't have to worry about explaining the broken camera for a while.

For the next couple of weeks, Colin was on cloud nine with his new camera, no one noticed that it wasn't the same camera and most of the other kids just assumed he had managed to fix the broken one.

The second task of the Triwizard Tournament was quickly approaching and a day or two before the press and other officials began to arrive. Colin found a great view of the events behind the press box bleachers, with his new camera he knew he'd have the best shots

"I'm telling you, Rita, I had it for the first task and then it disappeared," a man with a poor quality camera said as he and Rita Skeeter approached the press box.

"Howard, what are you trying to say?" Rita asked with a puzzled look.

"Just that I'd like to look around the place a bit see if anyone found it. It was a high-quality camera, this thing just doesn't have the same resolution."

The photographer, Howard, went on to describe to the non-interested Rita all about the camera. Even down to the nick on the left edge. Colin, from his spot behind the bleachers, heard the whole conversation, he looked down at the camera in his hands, the nick on the left edge and initials under the cap. Colin couldn't deny it any longer: he had this man's camera. He knew he could get away with keeping it; it was a large castle and hundreds of people, no one would pin it back to him, still, it didn't calm the unsettled feeling in his stomach. With a heavy heart, he crawled out of his hiding spot and approached the anxious-looking photographer and returned the most beautiful camera he'd ever used.

Howard was flabbergasted when this small boy approached him and held out the camera explaining he had found it some weeks prior. The boy clearly was a prodigy when it came to photography. Howard couldn't help but invite the boy to sit in the press box with him while they discussed the fine points of the art, especially considering there wasn't much one could see during the main event as all the champions were busy underwater for a whole hour.

Eventually, Colin did write home and told his mum and dad what had happened. Two days later a letter arrived for him from home.

_Dear Colin,_

_Thank you for telling us about the camera. Don't worry. We purchased insurance on it. Just send it home and we'll get it fixed._

_Love,_

_Mum_


	2. Corridor Closed

CHASER 1: _Gemini (May 21-June 20). _Have you ever been so busy that you wished you could clone yourself just to get everything done? That's the Gemini experience in a nutshell. Because of Geminis' intrinsic duality, they're often falsely misrepresented as two-faced. In reality, however, Gemini rarely has hidden agendas. **Write about a character(s) being perceived as two-faced but in actually are just misunderstood OR write about a character(s) who has so many interests they want to pursue that they attempt to or successfully clone themselves.**

**Additional Prompts**

1 That of a Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Represented by the archer, Sagittarians are always on a quest for knowledge. The last fire sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius launches its many pursuits like blazing arrows, chasing after geographical, intellectual, and spiritual adventures

4 (profession) Astrologer

14 (emotion) regret

Hogwarts had changed little over the thousand years it existed. After all, a stone castle with medieval architecture and magic holds up remarkably well. Even with its strong foundations, the final battle had damaged it significantly. Hermione had been shocked when she returned in September to finish her final year and take her NEWTS to find that the school was even open. Entire corridors were roped off and in need of repair. To her dismay, half the library was a soggy mess due to a hole in the roof that had gone unnoticed for months.

"What on earth is he doing?" Hermione asked herself as she studied the Marauders Map. Harry had given it to her when she told him she'd be returning to Hogwarts without the boys. She squinted at the map, which showed Draco maneuvering through a corridor that had been roped off as unsafe. Hermione had noticed Draco taking this path in the past before, and although Draco had helped her, Harry, and Ron, their animosity over the last 7 years couldn't be set aside that easily. Packing up her things she hurried to follow, curious as to the reasoning Draco had for going to such an unsafe area of the castle.

DM-

The amber liquid sloshed around in the cup, steam rising from it as the dregs slowly lowered themselves to the bottom of the cup. A young blond wizard huffed his annoyance as he waited to drink the piping hot tea. He silently wished for an ice cube to cool it faster so he could get this assignment out of the way. It was the last essay under the tea leaf topic before the class would move on to the infinitely more interesting section of Astrology.

For Draco, the allure of learning how the planets influenced events and people was the entire reason he'd added Divination to his already full schedule. He had always loved space and the stars, and was fascinated when he found out that studying their movements could relate to life on earth as well. Father had been less than supportive of him learning divination when he had signed up to start in his third year. Mother had encouraged it though, and there had apparently been a few seers and astrologists on her side of the family generations ago.

Coming back to Hogwarts had not been an easy decision for Draco. His family was in disgrace, his friends dead or in Azkaban, and the family fortune almost nonexistent. Draco had always known what he would be doing to make his way in the world: politics, business, investments and the like, he had been trained in these areas since he was a small child. Now all that had changed and he suddenly had the freedom to decide for himself what he wanted.

At first, he had floundered, not sure which direction to go and trying not to make the mistake of attempting to do it all, but he was quickly realizing that something was going to give out soon. Draco had learned that Hermione had used a time turner their third year to manage her course load and he'd secretly envied that she had been allowed to do that. It wasn't the first time he wished to have one this year to get everything done.

The tea finally had cooled enough and Draco eagerly chugged the beverage down before studying the cup and the dregs at the bottom then bent over his parchment and furiously began scribbling away at his essay.

Draco flipped the pages of the astrology book he'd been referencing as he looked up at the various charts he had put up on the wall of the forgotten classroom. Finding the space had been a gift, it was past the corridor that was roped off and no one in their right mind (except himself, obviously) would dare go to such a dangerous area of the castle. The perfect place to study in peace and quiet. It was far better to study alone than in the great hall with the other students giving him apprehensive looks and a wide girth. A scuffling sound caught his attention in the otherwise quiet room. Draco spun around to find a surprised Gryffindor in the doorway. Brown eyes scanned the room before settling on the Slytherin.

"What are you doing here? This area is out of bounds." Hermione asked in a haughty tone.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I suppose I should ask you the same. Following me, Granger? How pathetic."

Hermione blushed slightly at being called out. "I've noticed you disappearing down this wing quite a bit."

"And you thought you had to find out why?" Draco spat out bitterly. "Needed to know what I was doing, I suppose after all these years it'd be difficult to break the habit."

Hermione only nodded as she walked around the room. "I thought you hated divination," she commented as she studied the charts on the wall.

"On the contrary,it was one of the subjects I looked forward to the most, besides potions of course." Draco looked down. "my father wasn't pleased that I had signed up for it, acting like I enjoyed it would have been …. ill-advised."

Hermione couldn't help but notice that the Draco she had known for years was gone and the young man in front of her seemed lighter. A weight had been lifted off of his young shoulders, and although he often was still a complete arse, clearly the fresh start had been beneficial. She realized she had jumped to conclusions about Draco's disappearing act this year, assuming he was up to something when all he was trying to do was find a good place to study for a subject his family and housemates would scoff at.

"I'll let you get back to studying then, sorry for bothering you," Hermione apologized and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Hermione turned and gave the Slytherin a questioning look.

"You're good at arithmancy right? I have one chart here that has some figures I can't figure out, but I thought it would tie in well with Saturn's orbit…" Draco's voice trailed off, unable to get out the rest of his plea for help.

Pulling up a chair with a smile, Hermione got right to work interpreting the chart.


	3. I do

**CHASER 1:** The Kabuki Dance of Japan; write about a character, _excluding Neville_, who spends most of their time behind the scenes, but eventually gets their moment to shine.

(word) robust

(emotion) happiness

(poem) A Friend - Gillian Jones

A person who will listen and not condemn

Someone on whom you can depend

They will not flee when bad times are here

Instead, they will be there to lend an ear

They will think of ways to make you smile

So you can be happy for a while

When times are good and happy there after

They will be there to share the laughter

Do not forget your friends at all

For they pick you up when you fall

Do not expect to just take and hold

Give friendship back, it is pure gold.

* * *

White. More white. Every page of the blasted magazine was white. What happened to other colors? Yes, white was traditional. White was pure, innocent. And white also looked awful on Hannah. She sighed and tossed the magazine into the bin, wishing her mother was still alive. Sure her best friend, Susan, had been there for everything, looking at locations, caterers, bakers, and dresses, but it wasn't the same as having your mum around for all of it. Just the thought of her mum not being there caused tears to spring to Hannah's eyes. She quickly wiped them away and decided that she needed to think of something else.

* * *

They had known each other since they were eleven, although both would be nearly eighteen before friendship took hold. Hannah and Neville had never really paid much attention to each other during their first 5 years at school. Then Hannah's mom had been killed, her father pulled her from school, and she had been forced to return the following year. Hogwarts under Snape and the Carrows had been horrible, but she couldn't help but be glad for how it had all worked out. Spending so much time hiding in the Room of Requirement with Neville had allowed their friendship to form and grow strong. They spent hours confiding in each other, Neville having lost his parents in every way that mattered, and she having lost her mother. They often found themselves in each other's arms crying, and occasionally falling asleep holding each other. Their love of Herbology and hours spent in the greenhouses caring for the various plants, particularly those not as robust and that needed extra care, allowed for some private moments that only the two of them would share. Hannah didn't even tell Susan about some of it, but she and Neville often shared a knowing look across the room while Professor Sprout was lecturing.

* * *

She had eventually asked Neville out, having figured out that the shy boy that killed the Horcrux was still not quite brave enough to take that step without a push. He'd been so relieved when she had made that first official step that only six months later he officially proposed. Father couldn't have been happier with the match, having liked Neville from the get-go and, knowing that Augusta had raised him with traditional values and manners, the young wizard was always polite and made sure that Hannah was happy.

Augusta Longbottom was an intimidating woman and it quickly became clear why Neville had had so many panic attacks when he was younger at the mere mention of his grandmother. This was something he had fortunately overcome around their 6th year. The matriarch of the Longbottom family had taken one look at Hannah and pulled her into a tight embrace then sat her down and made her tell her all about herself. That first meeting had taken both Hannah and Neville by surprise. The young man had been so nervous about the introduction he had changed his clothes no less than three times having perspired through them.

* * *

"Oh Merlin, Hannah! It's gorgeous!" Susan squealed. "But I thought we were going to go dress shopping together?"

"I know, Susan. But Mrs. Longbottom gave me this, and it was just so perfect that I didn't even go out to look." Hannah explained while doing a twirl. The dress she was currently wearing was a rose champagne color, and despite the fact that it was a hand me down from Augusta's own wedding, it had fit Hannah perfectly without a single alteration needing to be made. The young witch positively glowed in the gown.

Susan laughed at how excited her friend was, and she knew that today was going to be perfect. The slightly overcast skies were perfect for the artistic photos that Colin Creevey excelled at taking, and the small church the ceremony would take place in had to be magically expanded to fit all the guests that had decided to come. Hannah had been shocked to learn how many people she seemed to know. At Hogwarts, she had often felt almost invisible. Most of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws hadn't even known her name until she had joined Dumbledore's Army, and the Slytherins she'd graduated with still didn't, no loss there.

Hannah was dragged from her thoughts as Susan started to usher her out the door.  
"It's almost time," she hissed excitedly in her friend's ear, and she pushed a bouquet of flowers into Hannah's hands.

If Hannah had a time turner she might have been accused of using it. The whole world seemed to stop spinning as she stood at the end of the aisle. Neville Longbottom at the other end looked at his soon-to-be wife with a look that told everyone in the room how much he loved her. Mr. Abbott held out his arm to his daughter and the two slowly walked down the aisle. The ceremony itself was short and sweet, and the entire event was a blur to Hannah as she and Neville only had eyes for each other.

"Congratulations, Hannah!" A young woman with dark black hair said. The woman was standing next to two men that Hannah didn't recognize at all. She gave them a quizzical look.

"Do I know you?"

"Hannah, it's Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Neville whispered in her ear.

She looked at the trio in front of her. The one she suspected was Ron explained with a quick mutter of, "Polyjuice."

"We didn't want our attendance to take away from your and Neville's day, but we still wanted to be here." The second man, probably Harry, said. He gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

Hannah smiled as the golden trio left to join the dancing, "Well it seems like Ron and Harry got over their fear of dancing," she mentioned to Neville, who smiled.

"I still remember that waltz from 4th year. Shall we?" Neville held out his hand to his bride. Hannah smiled and took his hand, and the newly married couple entered the dance floor. Hannah was still in a trance as the evening waned on. The number of people that came to wish her and Neville well still surprised her. She hadn't realized that so many people knew her, and many that stopped by she didn't even know.

Leaning up against her new husband, the newlyweds looked up into the evening sky to watch the magical fireworks (compliments of George Weasley). Hannah didn't think she'd ever had a happier day.


	4. The Adventures of Padfoot and Prongs

CHASER 1: "I don't know how I got stuck under there. It was just a … uh, hilarious chain of events." Impractical Jokers

Additional prompts:

8\. [object] Pendant

9\. [creature] Hippogriff

15\. [quote] 'You two can show off to each other later. You're both very smart. Now shut up.' — Skyward, Brandon Sanderson

* * *

Professor Minerva McGonagall narrowed her eyes at two of the most wayward Gryffindors that she had ever taught. And she had taught a lot of pupils during her tenure at Hogwarts. She crossed her arms across her chest and paced the hardwood floor of her office. Her head pounded, and she rubbed her temples in a failing effort to soothe herself.

"Mr. Black, please explain to me how Hagrid found the two of you under the Quidditch stands and you, Sirius, partially embedded in the supports," Professor McGonagall asked cooly, and both Sirius and James felt a chill go down their spines at her tone.

Sirius Black suddenly found his shoelaces to be the most interesting things in the world. He cleared his throat and mustered his charm before looking up at his teacher and giving her a winning smile.

"Well, you see, funny story about that, I don't know how I got stuck under there. It was just a… uh, hilarious chain of events actually." Sirius couldn't help but chuckle a little as he thought about the events earlier that day.

"By all means, Mr. Black, amuse me."

"Well, you see, it started in Care of Magical Creatures class…."

/

James idly poked a flobberworm with his wand. When he had learned about a class with magical creatures, he had envisioned dragons, unicorns, and thunderbirds; not the foul creature before him that did nothing interesting at all.

"This is so borrrinnng," James whined to Sirius.

"Hey, I have an idea." Sirius nudged James, Remus, and Peter before backing away from the class as Professor Kettleburn helped another group that had given their flobberworm too much lettuce.

"Sirius, this had better be good. I don't want another detention," Remus grumbled as he followed behind his more adventurous friends.

"Kettleburn will never miss us."

After a short walk through a less depressing part of the Forbidden Forest, the four marauders came across a paddock. The four boys stood in awe at the sight before them, a half dozen majestic creatures strolled around the area.

"What are those?" Peter wondered aloud.

Remus, ever prepared, opened his textbook and flipped through until he found the creature in question, reading a brief summary of the hippogriffs in front of them. The four boys stood around the makeshift fence as the giant beasts cantered around the enclosure. After some time, one with grey feathers and coat grew curious and made its way over to the students to investigate. Remus and Peter jumped back at the massive creature approaching, as its beak and talons were even more intimidating up close. James and Sirius, although slightly nervous, stared in wonder at the animal. Before he realized what he was doing, Sirius slowly raised his hand and the hippogriff gently nuzzled at it with its beak. A broad smile spread across Sirius's face as he began to scratch behind some tufts of feathers.

"I bet he could go faster than a broom," Sirius stated without really thinking about it.

"No way. My Comet could outfly him," James countered with a bit of a huff. The idea that anything could fly faster than his Comet (besides the next model) was absurd.

"He could too," Sirius retorted loudly.

"You two can show off to each other later. You're both very smart. Now shut up. I hear someone coming," Remus hissed at his friends before their bickering got too loud. He pulled them away from the edge of the paddock and behind some nearby trees as Hagrid appeared with a bucket of ferrets and began tossing them to the hippogriffs.

"I'm getting my broom," James announced as soon as Hagrid had left again and ran off. Remus sighed. He didn't think this was going to end well.

"Come on, Peter, we have charms soon besides this will be nothing but trouble." Remus began walking back towards the castle. Peter looked between his two friends and eventually decided that James and Sirius's plan wasn't worth the detentions and followed after his more responsible friend. Sirius took the time he had alone to climb up onto the fencing as the same hippogriff approached again and let him put his arms around him. It wasn't long until he found himself standing on top of the post and pulled himself onto the creatures back. Sirius had never been on a hippogriff, but really, how many young wizards or witches had? He had also never even been on a horse. However, the lack of experience was more than made up for by Sirius's natural talent, and he instinctively gripped the beast, with his legs not having anything for his hands to grasp onto. A moment later, he found himself being pulled forward towards the distant fence. Terrified they would crash into it, he leaned forward and threw his arms around its neck and pressed his eyes shut. The gentle rise and fall of the wings pulled Sirius out of his paralyzing terror, and he opened his eyes to see the ground far below.

A small dark-haired figure was running across the lawn. James, who had returned with his broom, quickly mounted and joined his best friend in the air. Sirius was relieved to have his friend approaching quickly. The hippogriff had a different idea entirely, and being unaccustomed to being followed by wizards on brooms, he changed course abruptly, almost throwing his mount off as he sped off towards the Forbidden Forest. Sirius desperately tried to sooth the hippogriff as his friend approached.

"Where are you going?" James called out as he attempted to keep up.

"I don't know, I can't control him!" Sirius panicked voice responded.

After several tense moments, the hippogriff gently landed on what could be called a small mountain nearby, James landing a safe distance away.

"Whoa! Look at Hogwarts! It's so small from here," James said with fascination as he looked at his temporary home.

"Hey check this out!" Sirius said, bending down to see a small cave-like opening on the ledge. He was small enough to crawl in and scooped out a small box. The lock was old and rusted and any enchantments on it had long since worn off., Sirius pried off the lid to find several very old gold galleons, a handful of silver sickles and bronze knuts, and a beautiful pendant buried beneath.

"Don't touch it!" James cried out, but it was too late, Sirius had already picked up the pendant and held it up to the light.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's fine, nothing bad happened, see?"

James shook his head. Sirius, as smart as he was, could be incredibly stupid sometimes. Pocketing the pendant, Sirius looked up at the sky.

"It's getting late, we should get back. Oh, and by the way, I think this hippogriff can outpace that broom any day."

"I suppose so, but the broom is easier to control. Let's go," James responded and kicked off the ground on his Comet. He hovered a few meters away as Sirius climbed up onto the hippogriff, and a moment later was in the sky flying back towards Hogwarts grounds.

At first, the hippogriff seemed to be heading back to the paddock area, but some unusual sounds coming from that area of the Forbidden Forest spooked it, and it took an unexpected turn towards the Quidditch pitch. James tried redirecting it by flying around on his broom and Sirius bravely even pulled on its feathers once which did not go over very well. The beast and its rider approached the stands head on. Sirius screamed, and not wanting to lose the pendant, although he could hardly explain why he felt it was important at the time, he pulled it out of his pocket just as the hippogriff halted abruptly and dropped its head, throwing Sirius right into the wooden stairs. The boy saw his life flash very quickly before his eyes (13 years is not a very long life after all) before going right through the wood and partially through one of the support beams before dropping the pendant and coming to a full stop. Sirius screamed in pain as he dangled a foot above the ground, his right leg the only thing that hadn't fully passed through the support beam when the pendant dropped.

"Sirius!" yelled James as he ran around to the back of the stands where the openings were to get under them. "Sirius! Are you alright?"

Sirius groaned in response. James wasn't sure what to do. There was an agitated hippogriff on the quidditch pitch and his best friend was dangling upside down from the stands, his leg and the stands melded together as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Buckbeak? What 're yeh doin' out he'e?" Hagrid's gentle yet gruff voice could be heard from where they were.

"Hagrid! Hagrid! Help!" James ran to the giant, shouting at the top of his lungs

"Shhh, yeh'll startle 'im," hissed the giant. James looked appropriately apologetic. "Now, wha' yeh going on abou'?" He asked the boy after he had calmed Buckbeak and put a rope around his neck.

"Its Sirius, he's stuck. Help." James tugged on Hagrid's arm, and the giant followed to find Sirius almost unconscious.

"Blimey." Hagrid inspected the scene and spotted the pendant several feet away. "He wasn't hold'n this was he?"

James shrugged. He wasn't sure if admitting that would be helpful or not. Hagrid picked up the pendant and brought it to Sirius, placing it in the boy's hand. As soon as contact was made it was as if the wood let go of the boy's leg, and Sirius fell with a crash to the ground. Hagrid hadn't been quite fast enough to catch him.

It didn't matter for long, though, as Hagrid scooped up Sirius and headed towards the castle to see Madam Pomfrey. James jogged along beside him, thankful that at least Hagrid didn't ask questions.

"How'd you do that?" James wanted to know.

"Do wha'?"

"Get Sirius unstuck."

"Oh that. It's the pendant. Who e'er is holding it can go through walls. Or in this case, the stands. He's lucky he wasn't going through a stone wall when he dropped it." Hagrid explained.

Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey didn't ask many questions either, except for what was necessary while checking over Sirius for any injuries and making sure he was alright before releasing him to a disgruntled head of house. Professor McGonagall would have more than enough questions for the boys.

/

If a person's face could tell you what they were thinking and feeling, Minerva McGonagall's face went through a rainbow of colors as Sirius recounted his adventure that day. Her face reddened with anger at the boys slipping out of class, paled at the thought of her young Gryffindor flying high above school grounds unsupervised only to again darken when she learned the boy had handled an unknown object found hidden away in a mountain top cave. It finally settled on a shade of puce when he concluded, and Minerva clutched her chest in a vain effort to still it's pounding.

"Have you anything to add, Mr. Potter?" she eventually asked after conjuring up a high backed cushioned chair and slipping into it.

"No, Professor. I think Sirius covered it all."

Minerva put her head in her hands for a few minutes while the boys glanced nervously at each other, awaiting their fate. After taking a moment to pull herself together, the lecture started, and went on, and on, and on for what must have been (at least to Sirius and James) hours before sentencing them both to two weeks of detentions each.

".. and additionally, Mr. Black, report to Hagrid Saturday morning at 7 o'clock for the remainder of the school year. He requested your help with the hippogriffs." Professor McGonagall said as she shooed them out

Sirius's face lit up in a huge grin. "Yes, professor."


	5. All for Naught

**Chaser 1:** (Dark World Dimension) Write about a parallel world where the characters' worst fears come to life.

1.[Word] Fire

2.[Object] A portkey

.[Setting] 12 Grimmauld Place

* * *

Summer 1982, 12 Grimmauld Place, London

Sirius paced his room, trying to figure out what he could do. It was the only place in the house where he would usually be undisturbed. Everything had gone wrong. For the last 7 months, he'd been stuck on the wizarding equivalent of house arrest. He'd been cleared of the charges for murdering James and Lily Potter, but there were enough other charges lined up that the Wizengamot thought he was a flight risk and forced him to return to his parents' home until the trial. A trial at an unspecified time. The wizarding courts were backed up for years thanks to the fall of You-Know-Who, and the arrangement was not appreciated by either him or his mother. It had been six years since he lived at home, leaving before he had even come of age. Mother continued to remind him that it wasn't as bad as Azkaban would be, but Sirius almost thought he'd have preferred the dementors over his mother and the house elf, Kreacher.

Albus Dumbledore had taken Sirius's godson, Harry, somewhere and refused to tell Sirius where. Said the child was safe. Sirius snorted at the thought. Albus's idea of "safe" was anything but. He had to figure out where little Harry was, but even if he could figure that out, he still had to solve the problem of how to get to him. Any attempt of leaving the property without approval from the Ministry resulted in a painful visit from the Aurors. Unforgivables might be illegal, but they turned a blind eye on a large number of other curses and hexes.

Sirius made a list in his mind of who he could turn to.

James - dead

Lily -dead

Peter - traitor

Remus - in hiding

Dumbledore - untrustworthy

Molly and Arthur - would go right to Dumbledore

And so the list continues, with each member of the Order either dead or so loyal to Dumbledore that he couldn't risk reaching out to them.

There was one person left that Sirius could ask, but he hated the idea with a burning passion. Severus. Severus was close to Lily at one time, closer than anyone else, except maybe James. Severus might be able to help.

Sirius pulled open the door and ran up to the attic where the family's owls were kept. In his hand was a note to the one man he hated the most.

Several days later a knock on the door rang through the house. Reluctantly, Kreature answered and let in a young man dressed entirely in black.

"Severus. What are you doing here?" Mrs. Black asked cooly. Regulus and Severus had been friends, but she had never approved of the boy's lineage, sired by a poor muggle of all things. Eileen could have done better.

"I'm here to speak to Sirius," Severus answered politely, knowing anything less than that would result in being shown right out the door again.

Sirius had also heard the door and had been in the process of stampeding down the three flights of stairs while this interaction took place. He awkwardly greeted his nemesis and ushered him up to his room to explain the situation with Harry: how he didn't know where the child was and desperately needed to get him.

"You're crazy, Black. Even if I did figure out where Dumbledore left the boy, you'd keep him here? With your mother? Reg told me about how well you got along with the family and Harry is mixed blood. It's amazing she even let me in the house."

Sirius ruffled through his dresser drawer and pulled out an old pen cap. Lily had introduced him to ballpoint pens and Sirius loved them, using them whenever he could.

Briskly, Sirius waved his wand over the object, then handed it to Severus.

"Please, find Harry, make sure he's safe. The portkey will transport you right into the back garden."

Severus raised his eyebrow. He never would he have believed that Sirius would speak to him willingly, let alone ask for help, and there was no doubt in his mind that he must be desperate to get Harry.

/

It took Severus nearly an entire month before he was able to discover the whereabouts for Harry Potter's location. He was absolutely shocked to learn that Lily's sister, Petunia, had the child. He had promised Dumbledore that he would help protect the boy, and then was enraged to learn that Dumbledore himself had placed little Harry with the worst muggles (aside from perhaps his own father) imaginable. If Severus had found it difficult to find Harry's location, figuring out how to get the boy out of the home without detection was even more challenging. Severus found himself making several trips to Sirius's home to discuss ways to get the child out of the clutches of Petunia Dursley, although none of them seemed even slightly possible.

Sirius had to admit it, working with Severus was not something he had ever thought would happen. Fortunately, at least, when it came to Harry, they both had the same goal in mind, to keep the child safe. Where the best place to keep the toddler, however, resulted in an argument at each meeting. Sirius refusing to admit that Grimmauld place was no place for a child, and Severus wanting to get Harry away from Petunia as quickly as possible but unable to do so without triggering the various wards around the home. He was growing impatient, however, at the lack of progress, and continued to push unyielding Severus to "just go in and grab the boy".

Eventually, the time came when not even Severus could stall any further. The plan had been for him to go retrieve Harry and bring the child to Sirius who would then disappear into hiding with Remus.

The plan did not go well.

/

Severus had always known Petunia was an idiot, but even still, he didn't expect her to be so foolish as to put a candle near the drapes. The entire house was engulfed when he went to retrieve Harry from his aunt's home. He knew the layout of this type of house, sitting room, dining room and kitchen on the main floor, four bedrooms and two baths upstairs. It was late, a child would have been in bed for hours already, so he headed up the stairs amid the smoke. Apparently, the batteries in the alarms hadn't been changed in some time as Petunia and her walrus of a husband were still asleep. Severus waved his wand and the bed dumped the two muggles onto the floor with a thud waking them up. The next bedroom looked like a storage room with extra toys and junk but no crib or bed. Severus continued to the next room where a very fat blond toddler lay sleeping but no Harry. The final room was clearly a guest bedroom, and by now Severus was frantic to find the child. Petunia and her husband had pulled their own child from his room and were attempting to go down the stairs, now engulfed in flames. Attempting to put out the fire with magic proved ineffective, it had devoured too much of the house for one wizard to extinguish alone. Refusing to leave without the child, Severus pushed on until a large portion of the roof collapsed on top of him.

/

Sirius paced the long hall. Severus should have returned by now, hours ago in fact. He had the portkey, why wasn't he using it? Sirius had been working the last several months to break the warding on his own home placed there by the Ministry to keep him from leaving the property, he believed he had figured out a way but had yet to test if his theory would work. He could think of no better time to try. Casting the appropriate counter charms before apparating to a nearby ally and transforming into Padfoot he barked in excitement. At least for the moment, it had worked. It took Sirius the better part of a day to walk to Surrey, not daring to apparate and alert the ministry when he finally rounded the corner of Privet Drive he could barely put a paw in front of the other, number 4 Privet Drive was nothing more than a shell of a house, burnt to ashes except for the exterior brick. Fire trucks and ambulances blocked the street and nosey neighbors watched from a distance. A nearby reporter was giving live coverage.

"Five bodies found, there are believed to be no survivors. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley and their young son lived in the home. It is unclear as of yet why a second man and child were also in the home…"

Sirius couldn't bear to hear more. After all their plans to get Harry out of that home, even after Dumbledore's security measures. It had all been for naught, Harry wasn't safe, Harry was dead. Sirius did what he could only do in his canine form, he sat back and howled. A long heartbreaking lament that was soon joined in by the neighboring pets.


	6. Call Me Evangeline

_Now, I'm well aware that Shakespeare isn't everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I hated it until I acted in one and now I love it. But, whatever your stance on Shakespeare, you have to admit that he was good at telling a story. The key to those stories? The classic themes and plot points that crop up in several of his plays. _

**Chaser One: **_Cross Dressing. _Write about someone dressing as another gender.

3 (dialogue) "Are you really eating pizza in the middle of this?"

7 (emotion) disappointment

14 (character) Theodore Nott

* * *

There was not a more beautiful sight to be seen. Simone Moreau had a dark tan complexion dotted with a few hard to see freckles and sparkling green eyes. As for her hair, well, Theo thought he'd never seen such perfect hair before.

"Earth to Theo." Malfoy threw a bread roll at his fellow Slytherin, which bounced off of the boy's head. Scowling, Theo pulled his eyes away from the beautiful girl from Beauxbatons.

"Wha —?" Theo glared at Malfoy, returning the roll with the same amount of force.

"We've been discussing the next task. What do you think it will be?"

Theo shrugged his shoulders. He was tired of hearing about the second task. They'd find out when it was time and right now there were more important matters at hand. For example, the Yule Ball. Theo looked down the table at a few Slytherin girls and shuddered to himself. He had no desire to ask any of _them_ to the dance, but as for Simone Moreau, that was another story.

Theo sulked through the remainder of his classes that day as he racked his brain trying to come up with a way to ask the beautiful foreign girl out. He knew if he just went up to her she would laugh in his face. He knew this because it had happened to Ron Weasley just last week. Since Ron was friends with Harry Potter, it didn't exactly make him popular, but it was still a step up from whatever Theo was. What he needed was a way to connect with Simone somehow, to approach her without raising suspicions and get to know her. Later that evening, he watched — perhaps a bit creepily — from a distance as she browsed through the library. Susan Bones, the shyest Hufflepuff in their year (Honestly, had anyone ever heard the girl speak, ever?), walked right up to Simone and started talking to her as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Theo's jaw dropped. Girls obviously didn't have as much trepidation speaking to each other as boys did approaching them. Then a Lumos went off in his brain, and without bothering to put back the book he was pretending to read, he ran out of the library and down to the Slytherin common room.

"Milli, Milli, I need your help," Theo said impatiently. Millicent rolled her eyes and looked at her housemate expectantly.

/

Magic, as we well know, can do spectacular things. It can transform a pair of slacks into a skirt and a pair of boots into heels. Charms can make hair grow long (until the charm wears off at least), and potions can change a voice from baritone to soprano. One thing magic cannot do is to give the witch or wizard the courage to approach their crush. Theo pulled on the skirt he was currently wearing. He felt completely exposed, even though the skirt was longer than how most of the girls wore them around the school. He had wanted to leave the newly grown hair down, but after nearly choking on it a few times, Millicent decided to plait it for him.

Simone was in the great hall when Theo finally located his target. She was studying at one of the large tables. How had Susan made it look so easy to just walk up to the girl and start talking? Theo nervously walked to the table where Simone sat and squeaked out "Mind if I study here?"

The French witch looked up. "Pardon?"

Theo cleared his throat and tried again. "Mind if I study here too?"

Simone shrugged and nodded before returning to her book. Theo sat down with a grateful smile.

After a while, Simone looked up with concern. "Are you alright? You look so nervous. I thought you wanted to study."

Theo jumped and turned bright red, realizing that he hadn't even opened a book yet. "Uh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."

Simone raised an eyebrow as if she didn't really believe that for a moment before returning to her own studies. Realizing that he was losing his chance to strike up a conversation, Theo sucked it up and started talking to the girl across from him.

/

Millicent Bulstrode had been completely shocked when her friend came to her earlier that day in a complete panic about some girl. She laughed at the idea of Theodore Nott being scared of anything, but one look at his pale gaunt face and she knew he was beyond terrified of the (inevitable, in her opinion) rejection. She tried talking him out of it, said it really would be better if he just tried to talk to her. Theo had a plan, at least, for getting to know the beautiful girl from France, and so after begging and pleading she had agreed to help him pose as a girl from Hogwarts in order to have a chance at starting a conversation. Millicent and Theo had been good friends for many years, even before Hogwarts, and she had hoped that he would have asked her to the ball, at least as friends, but it was clear he had his heart set on Simone. Watching from the Slytherin table she could see that at last Theo was talking to Simone. Students and staff began to flood the Great Hall as dinner would be starting momentarily. The tables began being cleared of textbooks and parchment as the food was sent up from the kitchens below and a dejected Theodore came over to sit at the table. Groaning, he slumped down and threw his book bag to the floor.

Millicent gave him a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?" she asked while filling her plate up with the offerings provided.

"She's amazing. She likes to read, muggle fiction of all things, plays Quidditch, and is into music." Theo put his head in his hands, the plait that remained in his hair falling forward.

Millicent raised her eyebrows "I'm not sure I see the issue here. Well, besides muggle fiction, although I hear some of it can be quite good. And you like quidditch and music, so you must have a lot to talk about."

"But that's just it! Now she wants to talk to Evangeline, she's not going to want to talk to Theo," the boy moaned. "If I go to her and start talking as myself she's going to think I'm some sort of a stalker."

"Ah," Millicent said noncommittally. Pretending to be someone else might not be considered stalking, but it certainly wasn't great either.

"Are you really eating pizza in the middle of this? I'm having a crisis here!" Theo asked with a huff.

Millicent looked at her friend, her mouth still stuffed with the cheesy delicacy. "What? How often do the elves even make pizza? I'm not missing out on this. Go change back into yourself and go talk to her," Millicent encouraged. "And if you don't want your piece, can I have it?" she added, eyeing the slice of gooey goodness, untouched, on Theo's plate.

Theo scowled slightly and pushed the plate over to his friend before leaving for the common room. He knew Millicent was right, and he headed back to the common room to put himself back together. Although, now that he'd gotten used to it, he rather liked the skirt.

/

"Hi, Simone right?" Theo asked, much more confidently than he felt as he approached the French girl in the owlery a few days later.

"Oui. And you are?"

Theo shuffled uncomfortably, then cleared his throat. "Oh, I'm Theo. It's nice to meet you." He began tying his letter home to one of the school owls before giving it a couple of treats and sending it on its way. Now or never, he thought to himself.

"Um, Simone, I know you don't know me really, well at all, actually, but I wondered if you would maybe like to go to the Ball together?"

Simone was clearly taken aback by the surprise proposal of the young Slytherin she had just met. However, she couldn't stop herself from smiling at him since he was the first boy who had even approached her. Many of her school mates had noticed that almost all of the Hogwarts boys seemed terrified of them. "You must be joking," she said in disbelief, not because she thought less of the boy in front of her, but more out of complete surprise.

Theo found his shoes fascinating at that moment. He hadn't expected that response. "Sorry, I'll just go then," he blurted out.

"No, wait, zat came out wrong."

Theo's eyes lit up, but then confusion shadowed his face when he saw Simone look disappointed. Perhaps she didn't want to go with him after all.

"But zer is someone else I was 'oping to go with. Perhaps you know 'er? 'er name is Evangeline, she is a Slytherin like you."

If words could make you feel like you've been punched in the gut, Theo would be in the Hospital Wing.

"I am very sorry, perhaps you will find someone else. Oui? Au revoir."

Theo stared after Simone in complete shock for several long moments then shook his head.


	7. Dragons: A Resource for Common Ailments

**Chaser 1**: Department of International Magical Cooperation: Write about two or more people from different walks of life working together in some way

(color) lemon yellow

(object) mismatched socks

(setting) Romanian dragon sanctuary

* * *

Dragons: A Resource for Common Ailments and Treatments.

Care of Magical Creatures class had been interesting and Professor Kettleburn had prepared his students for a variety of encounters, however 'Dragon Flu' did not seem to be in the syllabus any of the five years Charlie had taken the class. Charlie ducked as the Romanian Longhorn in front of him sneezed and a jet of fire flared out from its mouth and nostrils before it whimpered (a dragon whimpering, how pathetic) and laid its head back down. Taking a beach towel, Charlie wiped up the now charred snot that had been dripping from its snout.

"We're going to need some more flu medicine over here," he called across the enclosure to his partner, the other dragon handler, who had already tended to a sick Ukrainian Ironbelly.

Kristy was a petite woman that had transferred from the American dragon sanctuary to gain more experience with the European dragons. She was fearless, and on the first day had no issues getting up close and personal with the fiercest of the dragons. She nodded and put a finger up to her mouth asking for quiet; the Ironbelly was almost asleep and she did not want it to wake up while she was wiping goop out of its nostrils. Once finished she grabbed the cauldron and lugged it over to help Charlie finish up with the Longhorn.

"We're going to have to make some more but I don't think it's helping much. Are you sure this is the right recipe?" asked Kristy.

"Lorant said it was, but I agree, they should be improved by now. This just seems to put them to sleep and they wake up as miserable as ever. Dragons shouldn't have the flu this long."

Lorant was their supervisor and the sanctuary's resident dragon expert. He'd been there for over 50 years and had been one of the founders of the program. Although nearing 80 years old he had finally agreed to take on some younger help the last few years when his former partners had retired. Charlie hadn't really cared for the man when he first met him; most of the correspondence was done via owl post and he had only done a floo call interview before accepting the position. The pay was pathetic, typical for a Weasley though, but room and board were included. Lorant was actually some sort of Lord or Earl-Charlie wasn't really sure on his title-and as such carried himself with a pompous attitude and was absolutely unapproachable. The young wizard had looked up to Lorant since he was in his early teens and began studying dragons in earnest; Lorant, after all, was the leading expert in European dragons. Despite this, it had taken them both months to warm up to each other. Lorant initially viewed Charlie as nothing more than a young back to take care of the more physical tasks involved in maintaining the sanctuary, but once he realized Charlie's fondness for the beasts and how he truly cared for them he began mentoring him on their care and habits.

"We're back, sir," Charlie called out as he and Kristy entered the small castle-like home that belonged to the sanctuary.

"So I see." a gruff voice answered from a nearby doorway where the old wizard had come through. Lorant, like Albus Dumbledore, had aged surprisingly well. He moved slower these days and often preferred to let the younger residence take care of mundane tasks, but his mind was as sharp as ever and his magic could still throw Charlie on his arse if he wanted it to. "Any improvement?" he asked.

"None," Kristy responded. Worry showed in Lorant's eyes when he heard the latest update.

"I don't understand," the old man muttered to himself then shuffled back into the library to continue researching.

"Sir, maybe we can help," Charlie offered, following his mentor into the library and to pick up a book about obscure dragon illnesses. Lorant made an indifferent grunt but nodded his head anyway. Charlie sat down at the large table and began to read while Kristy pulled up near him with her own pile of books.

"Do you think he does it on purpose?" Kristy asked, more to herself than to Charlie.

"Eh?"

"Lorant has one yellow sock and one dark orange one. Do you think he does it on purpose? Or maybe just doesn't care?"

Charlie looked up at his colleague "Why do you care if his socks match? That's not important, we need to figure out what's going on with the dragons."

Kristy frowned "It was just an observation." she shrugged, and returned to her book.

/

Charlie rubbed his eyes. He thought when he had graduated Hogwarts he'd be mostly done with studying for hours. He could not have been more wrong. In addition to his duties taking care of 3 adult dragons-and now, baby Norbert-Lorant had both him and Kristy on a rigorous study schedule which allowed for little free time. It had been grueling enough but now with a third dragon in their care suffering from this flu-like disease, their study time and free time consisted of researching dragon illnesses. They were all eager to get the sick dragons better-after all, it's hard enough to care for a healthy dragon-but even wizards that care about their research have limits of what they can absorb.

"I'm going to put the kettle on." Charlie decided he needed to walk around a bit and rest his eyes. As he stood waiting for the kettle to boil (which does not go any faster with magic) he looked out the window into the dragon enclosure. It took a few minutes to realize what he was seeing but then panic set in.

"Lorant! Kristy! The dragons!" He called out before turning off the kettle and sprinting outside with Lorant and Kristy close behind him. The entire enclosure had multiple fires blazing within. The three dragon keepers began to extinguish the flames and drench as much of the area as they could. The battle to subdue the flames took hours; when one fire was put out a dragon would cough and start a new one. Only once the entire area was sufficiently saturated did the fires finally remain extinguished. Lorant, Charlie, and Kristy looked just as miserable as the dragons huddling together in the mud. The exhausted handlers collapsed to the ground just outside of the fence.

"I don't understand why the flu medicine isn't helping them," Kristy muttered, "they seem to be getting worse."

"Yeah and that red snot is so gross," Charlie added.

Lorant scoffed "Red? It's a bright lemon yellow. That always indicates the flu with dragons. Stupid boy, didn't you read the book on dragon flu?" he scolded.

Charlie frowned and shared a look with Kristy who looked equally confused. The mucus wiped away had been a dull rust color. Neither of the younger wizards had questioned Lorant's initial assessment of the illness. After all, he was the expert.

"Sir, what color is this?" she asked holding up a once-white towel covered in the Longhorn's last sneeze.

"Yellow of course."

"And do your socks match?" Kristy asked tentatively.

"Of course they match, what kind of nonsense is this?" responded an aggravated Lorant.

"Sir," Charlie started. "Have you ever been tested for color blindness?"

Lorant stared at the young man-during which time both Charlie and Kristy felt increasingly uneasy-before storming off and muttering about the youth of today and no respect for elders and idiotic notions.

"I think we're on our own for this, but I don't think it's the flu."

Kristy nodded and after a quick respite, she and Charlie restarted their research, this time ignoring Lorant's original instructions and using their own observations of the dragons' symptoms and behaviors over the last month.

"Here it is!" Kristy said excitedly at around 4 in the morning. She slammed the large tome down in front of Charlie and pointed to a section.

"Food poisoning?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it? The latest shipment of carcasses was from a different vendor. It says here that dragons are particularly sensitive to changes in their diets. There's a potion we can make that should help. And at this point, I don't think it could hurt. I don't think we can manage another fire like we just had."

It took the pair almost till noon to finish the cure and lug the heavy cauldron out to treat the dragons. As they headed back Lorant approached, looking refreshed. No doubt he had gone to bed after dealing with the inferno, unlike Charlie and Kristy.

"There you two are, we need to make more of the flu medicine."

Lorant was met with a groan and mumbles to do it himself as the pair headed back to their rooms and collapsed into their beds without so much as a thought of a shower.

/

Sometime the next morning Charlie awoke with a groan. His body was sore and covered in-well, best not to think about it and his left arm had a pretty severe burn that he somehow hadn't noticed in the previous day's events. He rolled out of bed and cleaned up and tended to his injuries as best he could before heading out to see how the dragons were doing.

Kristy and Lorant were already outside, and the old man nodded to him when he approached.

"They're doing better," he informed Charlie. "Kristy said it was food poisoning, so I've canceled the food vendor and placed a new order with the previous one." With that, the old man walked away.

"You're welcome," muttered Charlie when he knew he wouldn't be heard.

Kristy giggled, "You didn't actually expect him to say thank you, did you?"

"Not really." Charlie smiled at her and turned back to the dragons in the pen. They were still a bit sluggish but it was obvious that they were feeling much better.


	8. Hogwart's Got Talent

**CHASER 1**: Another One Bites the Dust - Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?

(character) Fred Weasley

(words) rock n' roll

(object) microphone

* * *

Being a twin wasn't as easy as people thought. Being an _identical_ twin was even harder. First, everyone gave you combined gifts. "Oh, just share with your brother," they would say. When your family was dirt poor, they said it even more so. Second, people would associate the two of you as one person instead of two separate individuals. You know, with different interests, thoughts, feelings, and talents.

Fred didn't usually mind too much. After all, he and George were usually inseparable. But sometimes, it was a little annoying when he was addressed as 'Fred or George' as if that was his name and not 'Fred', because people were just too lazy to even try and tell them apart.

A little known fact about the Weasley twins was that they had totally different musical tastes. George loved jazz and country, both of which made Fred want to bash his head in. Fred was all about Rock n Roll, with Queen being his favorite group of all time. He had excellent taste, thank you very much. He absolutely loved their sound. Something no one except George knew about Fred was that he was actually a great singer. No Freddie Mercury, obviously, but he could hold his own. Fred could often be found with a hairbrush in hand, pretending it was his microphone as he rocked on. George usually gave him a confused look. What wizards would need a microphone for he didn't understand, but Fred insisted it helped him get into the music better. George generally found it best not to argue with Fred's logic.

On a rainy day in March, Fred was excited to discover a notice on the announcement board about the first annual Hogwarts talent competition. It was being hosted by Professor Lockhart, so Fred knew this would be both the first and last talent showcase Hogwarts would ever host. He was the first person to sign up.

"You know, Mr. Weasley, all members of your act must be listed," Lockhart informed him after class the day after Fred had signed up.

"Yes, sir, all members are. I'm a solo act," Fred offered as an explanation.

Professor Lockhart was taken aback by this news. "My apologies, I had assumed that your brother would be accompanying you," the man replied, clearly flustered by the news that Fred and George were not, in fact, a singular unit.

Fred smirked at his teacher's discomfort and left for his next class. He spent the better part of the next week debating which song he would sing. Queen was a given, but there were too many to choose from. Except for muggle-borns, most of the wizarding world didn't pay much attention to muggle music, and Fred wanted this performance to be both memorable and blow away the competition.

After practicing at every available moment, resulting in eye rolls from George and multiple pieces of balled up parchment thrown in his direction from Katie Bell, the big day finally arrived. Talent competitions were not known very well within the magical world in general, so only a few students had signed up. Still, there was quite a bit of excitement within the school since each house had two or three members signed up.

Wisely, Fred decided against watching the other acts go on. He knew his nerves would be shot if he paid any attention to the other acts. Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice when the act before him was ready to go up, and the Hufflepuff got through his routine and was met with polite applause. When the boy came off of the stage, he lunged towards a bin.

_Oof, that sucks_, Fred thought as Lockhard announced him to the stage. He didn't have a chance to check to see if the other boy was alright before finding himself facing the audience. Not that he could see, the lights blinded him so only the first row was really visible. It didn't exactly help his nerves to only see Professor McGonagall's stern and unamused pursed lips and Professor Snape's this-is-a-waste-of-time scowl.

Nodding to the "band", which consisted of various charmed instruments, the music started up. Fred took a breath and began singing into the microphone, he closed his eyes and imagined he was his favorite singer, Freddie Mercury. Almost immediately, he lost himself in the moment and ignored the crowd. When he finished his song, the exuberant applause surprised him. He couldn't help the larger than life smile that presented itself on his face before being ushered off the stage by Professor Lockhart while a little first year Ravenclaw with a flute passed by.

Waiting was the hardest part. Fred paced around while the judges scored his performance to find out who the final contestants would be.

"Queen? Really, Weasley?" a seventh year Slytherin that had played guitar and sang an original song said with what Fred thought was a sneer.

"Yeah, what of it?" Fred replied defensively.

The older boy grinned. "Nice choice, might have picked the same if I had the vocal range," he said before walking away leaving Fred baffled by the surprisingly civil, yet brief, conversation with a member of Slytherin.

Fred watched from the wings as a younger Gryffindor was finishing up his performance. It was mediocre at best, and he critiqued what changes he would have made. Finally, after several more groups had finished up and scores were counted, Fred joined the rest of the students on the newly erected stage in the Great Hall to find out which acts were going to be eliminated and which few would be considered finalists and allowed to perform again. The tension around him was so thick, everyone on the platform moved nervously as Professor Lockhart in his dramatic fashion drew out the process of announcing the three acts with the lowest scores (in no particular order).

"Are you ready? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?" Professor Lockhart asked the crowd of students that were not participating. They cheered on in excitement waiting to see which groups would be eliminated next. Fred wasn't surprised when the little Ravenclaw and the nervous Hufflepuff were in the next group eliminated. He looked around at who was left, on one side the older Slytherin was still there and a tiny Ravenclaw with blonde hair and a vacant expression on her face. Fred looked to the other side to see a Gryffindor a year ahead of him and a couple of Hufflepuffs that had managed to handle stage fright better than their housemate. Fred realized that he was among the top-scored groups. His head felt a bit fuzzy as he struggled to take in everything, and before he realized what had happened, he found himself standing with only the little Ravenclaw and Slytherin by his side. He had somehow managed to make the top three contestants. He was going to get to perform again! This time he watched the older boy perform on his guitar. He was good, really good. Later he'd have to ask him what his name was. Despite being in Slytherin he seemed like a decent guy. When the song was over, the little girl walked airily to the front of the platform. Fred heard a couple of people shout out something that sounded like "Go Loony," but he wasn't sure. She recited a poem including facial expression and gestures that enhanced her words. It was strangely mesmerizing. Finally, it was Fred's turn to retake the stage, and he walked out to thunderous applause. Houselight dimmed and the music started up and Fred felt he was more at home now than he ever had been at Hogwarts, he could barely see some of the professors but it looked as if McGonagall was smiling and Snape looked slightly less murderous than he had earlier. The music began again and in a moment that was all Fred was aware of.


	9. Life Out of Focus

If a character died in canon, you will write a story where they survive the war. If they lived, you will write about their death during the war. Whether you focus on the moment that changed whether they lived or died, or you show the impact, the aftermath of their fate through someone else's eyes, or whatever is entirely up to you.

Save Colin Creevey

(word) impact

(character) Horace Slughorn

(setting) Astronomy Tower

Trigger warning: self-harm

* * *

**Life Out of Focus**

The viewfinder in the camera focused, blurred, and refocused.

Click.

Colin looked at the digital display of his camera. The photo of the landscape from his window was beautiful. He hit the delete button. Putting the camera up to his eye, he took an identical photo — just as perfect — viewed it, and deleted.

"Mr. Creevey," a voice interrupted him as he was about to take another picture, "you have a visitor, Mr. Creevey."

Colin didn't turn and look, he knew it was Professor Slughorn. It was always Professor Slughorn.

The man came every week without fail, Sunday afternoon around tea time. He was right of course; Horace Slughorn came in and sat down in the chair opposite Colin, giving him a hard look.

"You shouldn't have come."

"And yet, here I am."

Colin rolled his eyes as if he were still seventeen. Professor Slughorn ignored the eye roll and proceeded to lay out the tea that one of the attendants had brought in. He made small chit chat and Colin responded appropriately, if not eagerly. He often wondered why the professor continued to pay him such interest. He had only known the man a couple of years in school and he hadn't been particularly good at potions either. Colin surmised it was guilt. As he scratched at the wrappings on his forearms, he could faintly feel his pulse twitching away under his healing skin. It itched and he wanted to scratch at it but then someone would come in and scold him for tearing open the stitches, again. He decided it wasn't worth listening to another lecture and left them alone, for now anyway.

Professor Slughorn's voice droned on and Colin thought back to that night, ten years ago. He didn't remember much. He and Fred Weasley were up in the Astronomy Tower trying to take out as many Death Eaters as they could from their vantage point when one had managed to make their way up to the tower. Colin remembered seeing someone with a mask, though he had no idea who it was, and then he was flung backward hit his head on the stone walls and was knocked out cold. He woke up a week later in the Hospital Wing. Apparently, once he was out of the picture the Death Eater and Fred had dueled. Fred had been hit, but what did him in was the impact of the ceiling crashing down on him. Slughorn had found both of them hours later. It had been too late for Fred but Colin had managed to survive the roof collapse. He wished he hadn't.

He had healed surprisingly well, a balanced dose of magical and Muggle medicine had him back to — what some would call — normal within a few months. Many of his friends hadn't been as lucky. One had lost her magical abilities and was now basically a Squib. Another had lost his hearing and despite Muggle and magical methods, it couldn't be restored. Those hadn't seemed to slow either of them down much and they adapted.

To Colin, the lucky ones were the ones that hadn't made it out that day. That was his well-formed opinion, but he was constantly told otherwise. He was one of the lucky ones, they said. He should be grateful. He snorted at the thought and then realized that Professor Slughorn was still there, giving him a quizzical look.

Colin grimaced and hoped the man wouldn't ask him what he had just been thinking about. Professor Slughorn always looked so somber when Colin mentioned that he should have left him there in the Astronomy Tower. He used to say it more frequently but he felt he couldn't bear to see the pain on the old man's face when he did, so he relented to just thinking it instead.

"Is that a new camera?" Professor Slughorn asked, obviously thinking it best to pull Colin from whatever dark thoughts he had allowed himself to be sucked into at the moment.

Colin smiled, just a little, and nodded. He handed the camera to his old professor and began explaining the functions and how to operate it. Professor Slughorn wasn't as interested in Muggle things the way someone like Mr. Weasley was, so he was far less likely to try to take it apart to learn how it operated. Nevertheless, the man did seem to find them fascinating just the same and listened with attention as Colin explained more functions than any camera needed to have.

Dennis had given him the camera for his last birthday. Muggle technology had developed by leaps and bounds over the last several years. Their new digital cameras were far better picture quality and most could record a short video as well, eliminating the need for magical potion enhancements to make pictures move. Even with the new camera, Colin didn't find much use for it. One could only take pictures of their room and view it so many times before it gets old.

The first few years after the war hadn't been as bad, Colin had taken some photos early on in the battle and of course the destruction after it was over, he had been able to sell them to the Prophet and the Quibbler. He had gained a fair bit of recognition and notoriety the year after the war. He then freelanced for a bit for Witch Weekly and the Wandering Wizard, he had done fairly well for himself but his heart wasn't in it and was bored with the subject matter the magazines were willing to pay for. Honestly, how many finished crochet blankets or local bed and breakfasts could you take pictures of before going a little mad?

It hadn't been long after that when he had first hurt himself. He knew he wasn't supposed to be alive, he was supposed to have died that night in the astronomy tower with Fred Weasley. It was only some cruel twist of fate and the surprising proficient medical treatment from the man currently sitting across from him that kept him still here. No one seemed to want to listen to him though when he claimed he should be dead. When he cried about wanting it to, for the love of Merlin, just end.

Colin had spent quite a bit of time at in-treatment facilities these last ten years. He'd had a room across from Lockhart (he refused to attach the honorific 'Professor' to the man's name) for a few months while he did a stint at St. Mungo's Hospital. After a few years, he had lost count of the number of Muggle facilities his parents had checked him into. The magical world didn't do great with mental health but the Muggle world couldn't stop him from apparating out either. When this remote branch of St Mungos opened up for long-term care, his parents with the help of Professor Slughorn had gotten him admitted as one of the first patients.

Professor Slughorn gave Colin a hard look as if he wanted to say something. He opted to sigh loudly instead. "You know that fiery little redheaded nurse wouldn't let me come up here today unless I promised I'd get you to take your pills."

Colin gave the man a resentful look. He hated taking the pills. Slughorn ignored the look and pushed the little cup of medication over to the young man. Colin swallowed and downed them and followed it with a long drink of lukewarm tea.

"Good lad, till next week." The older man stood slowly and gave the younger man an affectionate pat on the shoulder before taking his leave.

Colin picked up his camera again and thought wistfully of his excitement of moving pictures when he turned eleven. He had taken a picture of every student and teacher at Hogwarts that year, and at least a dozen of Harry Potter and his friends. He had even tried to take pictures of the ghosts, but evidently, they didn't show up well on film, instead developing as odd shadows. Now, though, Colin took pictures of the view from his window. Then he would press delete.


	10. The Invisible Girl

_Cliches: love them or hate them, you can't deny that when they work, they work._

_This round, you've been given a Harry Potter cliche to revamp and make your own. Do the cliche-gods proud!_

(We're hoping for original stories to come from these cliches, so try to be unique with your interpretation! Some of them, this could be as easy as making the plot feel plausible/believable, others this could be with character choices, writing styles, etc. Put your own spin on it!)

(Prophet winning round for S6)

**CHASER 1:** A character gains immense powers (super-hero!AU, god/demi-god!AU, some sort of spell/curse, anything goes)

(dialogue) "Wait a minute, what just happened here?"

(character) Marietta Edgecombe

(magical creature) Demiguise

* * *

The reflection in the mirror glared back at Marietta as she dabbed on the concealer trying to hide the large cysts across her face. The make-up helped a little and Marietta was glad she no longer had to cover her face entirely. Her face had healed a bit since the original break out it still had the awful reminder "SNEAK" scrawled across.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped at the mirror.

"The make-up doesn't seem to be helping much," was the reflections blunt reply.

Marietta huffed and left the bathroom, she wanted to scream or cry.

Summer holidays were almost over Marietta was dreading her return to Hogwarts this year. Last year had ended poorly with Cho being the only one that would even speak to her. The painful and ugly acne a constant reminder to her and everyone else of her moment of weakness she wished desperately that she could go back and redo that day or just disappear entirely.

Marietta came down the stairs and saw that her mum had already left for work, the entire Umbridge scandal had at least not affected her employment. Grabbing a muffin Marietta headed out the front door. Cho and her family lived nearby and the two girls had spent most of the summer together.

A bell chimed when Marietta walked into the tiny store that belonged to the Chang family. The store was a hodgepodge of different items, some were muggle antiques, then there were magical items, and even a small rack of novelty gifts. Marietta had never seen anyone in the store yet it had managed to stay in business for several generations, judging by the fact that Cho's grandfather was usually found sitting in a corner with a chessboard and a long pipe, he was as much a part of the atmosphere as the sandalwood incense.

Marietta cleared her throat, "Um, Mr. Chang, is Cho around?"

Marietta shuffled from one foot to the other, the ancient wizard gave her a long searching look, "What wrong with face?" he asked curtly. Marietta felt her face flush with embarrassment. She was saved from answering when Cho appeared at the doorway.

"Zufu," Cho got the attention of her grandfather, "Mum says it's time for your potions."

The old man gave his granddaughter an annoyed grunt but slowly rose from his stool and exited through the door that leads to the private residence attached.

"Oh, Hi Marietta!" Cho said happily "I'll just grab my things, be right back." Cho disappeared where she had come in leaving Marietta alone in the strange shop.

Marietta casually strolled through the maze of furniture and looked at the assortment of items. In the back corner of the shop, she found a small cage out of which golden brown eyes stared back at her. The girl tilted her head to the side with a curious look. The eyes looking back at her did the same and then gradually a small body appeared covered in silver hair. A little demiguise. Mariette couldn't tell if this one was very young or a dwarf variety but it was absolutely adorable and she desperately wanted to pet its soft silky fur.

Cho hadn't returned yet so Marietta carefully opened the cage door and slowly brought her hand to the little creature sitting inside, her fingers combed through the soft fur and she smiled. The demiguise wasn't quite as pleased with the situation and a moment later sunk its tiny teeth into the girl's hand. Marietta gasped and pulled her hand quickly back and slammed the cage door shut. Instinctively Marietta put her injured hand to her mouth before taking a closer look at the bite. It didn't look too bad.

"Marietta?"

"Back here!" she called to Cho, who had finally returned to the store.

"Ready to… wait a minute, what just happened here?" Cho asked when she found her fellow Ravenclaw glaring at the demiguise.

Marietta shrugged, "Nothing, I was just looking at this little guy, he's cute."

"Yeah he is, and he bites," Cho warned, "Zufu is the only one that can handle him. Let's go."

Marietta followed Cho out of the store.

* * *

It had been hours since the little demiguise had bitten Marietta's hand and it still ached. There wasn't any swelling, it didn't even turn red, there were just four little punctures on her hand from the sharp little teeth. Telling her friend that she had tried to pet the aggressive little creature didn't seem like a good idea so Marietta decided not to mention it. While she was studying her hand it appeared to fade slightly and take on a slightly translucent quality. Marietta decided she must be overtired and went to bed.

The following morning the pain in her hand had subsided, and soon Marietta had discovered something new. The translucent look her hand had taken on hadn't been a figment of her imagination or overtired eyes, it began to spread to the rest of her and not only that but moved on to become transparent. It was quite the shock the first time Marietta had looked down at her hand to see that it was completely invisible.

At first, Marietta had no control over her disappearing body, at seemingly random times her head or hand would disappear. Marietta quickly found out that her moods would play a major factor in her disappearing act. Much like a demiguise, that would disappear when threatened, whenever Marietta felt embarrassed, nervous, or upset she too would disappear. Once she realized this however taking control of her emotions to disappear at will became only a matter of practice and patience.

At home Marietta didn't have to worry about her parents finding out her little secret, her mum worked so much she wasn't home enough to notice anything and Dad generally was oblivious anyway, so his occasionally invisible daughter went unnoticed.

* * *

Marietta sat thinking about the upcoming year, anxiety forming a pit in her stomach, as she worried she was unaware that she had become invisible (hey, she's getting better at controlling it but isn't an expert yet!) Her parents may have been living under a rock about their daughters new skill set, but Cho wasn't.

The loud piercing scream Cho let out startled Marietta and she immediately became visible again.

"What's wrong?" Marietta asked. She didn't realize that she had disappeared (she's new at this give her a break).

"You… you... You were gone," Cho gasped out once the shock wore off.

"Oh, that! Yeah, pretty neat, right?"

Marietta demonstrated her vanishing trick and reappeared half a minute later.

Cho just stared.

"How did you do that?"

"I'm not sure," Marietta lied, she was not about to tell Cho that she had gotten bitten by the pet demiguise. "But you can't tell anyone, ok?"

Cho nodded.

"Promise!" Marietta demanded.

"Alright, I promise," Cho reluctantly agreed.

* * *

It turns out that having the ability to become invisible at will is a fantastic skill to have, especially if you're a teenager still in school. That group of boys that teases you because of your acne, just go invisible before walking past, they don't even notice. How about late for class? Sneak in and then act as if you had been there the entire time. Professors don't even bat an eye at it although Cho would give her friend a knowing smirk whenever it happened. For the first time since the incident with Umbridge, Mariette was no longer overly bothered by stares or what others thought of her, she had a secret, and it was pretty awesome.


End file.
